Is the United Nations necessary?

Topic: Is the United Nations necessary?Pol_S 103.02 – Fall 2017 – Paper 2 Prompt
Instructions: Below you will find four different prompt options for you second paper
assignment. Your task for this paper is to choose ONE of the prompt options and fully respond to
question posed. This is an argumentative paper, so you will need to take a position and defend it.
Your paper should include: a clear thesis statement; an overview of the key concepts,
assumptions, and terms that are applicable to your topic; supporting arguments with examples; a
paragraph addressing counter-arguments to your own; and a conclusion. If all of these elements
are not present, your grade will be adversely affected.
Again, this is meant to be an argumentative paper, so there are no “right” or “wrong” answers,
but you must support your position with clear argumentation as well as data and evidence. Your
paper should include real world examples, either contemporary or from history, that would
support your argument. You may use the class textbook as the primary source for your research,
but you must also use at least THREE additional sources for your paper. Your paper must
include either footnotes or parenthetical citations for any ideas, quotations, data, or other
information from secondary sources that you include in your paper. In addition, you should list
in a bibliography all sources you consulted and used in researching and writing your paper (the
bibliography does NOT count as part of the page requirement).
Your paper should be 3-5 pages long, double spaced, 12-point font in Times New Roman, with
one-inch margins. Any deviation from this format will adversely affect your grade. Your paper
should be submitted directly on Blackboard by November 13, 2017 at 2:00 PM.
Submission Instructions: In the Content Section on Blackboard you will find the icon titled
“Paper 2”, this is where you will submit your paper. You will be submitting ONLY an attached
file version of your paper. Only Word or PDF versions will be accepted.
Late Policy: If you turn your paper in at any time on November 13th after 2PM (i.e. between
2:01PM and 11:59 PM), you will receive an automatic 10% deduction. If you turn your paper in
at any time on November 14th, you will receive an automatic 20% deduction. Any time on the
15th will result in a 30% deduction, and any time on the 16th will result in an automatic 40%
deduction. November 16th is the last day you will be able to submit your paper for any credit.
Prompt Options:
1. Is the United Nations necessary? If it is, what should be changed or reformed to make it
more effective, or do any changes need to be made at all? If it is not, why is it
unnecessary, and what would you put in its place, if anything at all?
2. You were assigned to read “Is Nuclear Zero the Best Option?” by Scott Sagan and
Kenneth Waltz. Sagan says yes, Waltz says no. Who is correct? In our contemporary
international context is it best to work toward ridding the world of all nuclear weapons, or
would the eradication of these weapons lead to even greater instability and conflict?
3. Which is the best explanation for the rise and prevalence of militant Islam? The political,
cultural, economic, and religious explanations respectively provide different perspectives
on why this phenomenon exists, and what the most important explanatory variables are.
Which explanation is most convincing, and why?
4. Are human rights best conceived of as universal, or should relative social, regional and
cultural variables be taken into consideration? Furthermore, how should the international
community respond when human rights are being violated? What should be the role of
peacekeeping and humanitarian intervention in these situations? What questions about
sovereignty do these issues raise, and how should the international community handle
these types of issues?